Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 428 Formal Channels
After hanging up the phone, Little Cannon thoughtfully stroked his chin, then suddenly grinned widely.

Who called?

When Xu Fan came in from outside and saw Xiao Gangpao looking like this, he assumed it was another vixen calling his man.

Otherwise, why would my husband have such a thoughtful, lewd... cough, a rather lewd smile on his face?

"You're not allowed to go out tonight, and don't even think about making excuses."

Xu Fan emphasized it again.

She couldn't help but overthink it.

My husband collaborated with Cao Yang on a film called "Assembly," which not only received amazing reviews but also pleased the higher-ups.

The internal meeting also praised how traditional patriotic films should be made, emphasizing the need to keep pace with the times and have such an innovative spirit. A special document was even issued to various state-owned film studios.

It is said that not only the film bureau, but also the military expressed satisfaction with this extremely meticulous research.

If that were all, Xu Fan would be happy for Xiao Gangpao, after all, his man had always wanted to gain recognition from above.

To Xu Fan's delight, "Assembly" became a box office hit, and his man became the record holder for Chinese-language films.

What worries Xu Fan is that because "Assembly" was a huge hit and broke the box office record for Chinese films, her man has become a tempting target for many more "female demons".

Especially after news broke that her husband was collaborating with director Cao Yang again.

Whether they're big fairies or little fairies, everyone wants a bite now, and many have even stopped acting altogether, making phone calls under various pretexts.

Is Xiao Gangpao the kind of person who can remain unmoved by temptation?
On this point, Xu Fan didn't distrust Xiao Gangpao, but rather he distrusted men!
Which man can resist the temptation of a constant stream of women of all types?

Even the most self-controlled man will inevitably have one type that will strike a chord with you.

Little Cannon grinned and chuckled, saying, "What's wrong? Jealous?"

"Heh, with Director Feng being so popular with young girls, how could I possibly be jealous?" Xu Fan raised his voice slightly, speaking with a hint of resentment.

"Hehe, look at you, still saying you're not jealous, I think you've already spilled the vinegar jar."

With a cheeky grin, Little Cannon patted Xu Fan's butt and gave it a squeeze, explaining, "Don't be jealous, it's not what you think at all. It was Ning Hao who called."

"Ning Hao?"

Xu Fan frowned subconsciously and then stole a glance at Little Steel Cannon.

Who is Ning Hao?

That's the apprentice of Tian Zhuangzhuang, the head of the directing department at Beijing Film Academy!
Tian Zhuangzhuang is considered Xiao Gangpao's "senior." Although Xiao Gangpao hasn't mentioned this matter much, it's clear from the fact that he and Tian Zhuangzhuang have always disliked each other that he still cares a bit.

Therefore, Little Cannon had almost no contact with Ning Hao.

Of course, directors like Tian Zhuangzhuang and Ning Hao, who come from "orthodox" backgrounds, also look down on Xiao Gangpao, which is one of the reasons why they don't communicate much.

"Will Ning Hao call you?"

Xu Fan almost blurted out those words, but he managed to hold them back and instead said, "Is that so?"

"Can I still lie to you?"

Xiao Gangpao sat down on the sofa, reached out and pulled Xu Fan to sit on his lap, then leaned close to her ear and said, "It was indeed Ning Hao who made the call, but it was Cao Yang's... brother's idea."

Xu Fan turned his head and looked at Little Cannon with disdain, clearly not believing him.

"You're lying to me. Wouldn't Director Cao call you himself? Why would he let Ning Hao call you?"

"See, you don't believe me when I tell the truth."

Xiao Gangpao pretended to look aggrieved and then explained, "Ning Hao just came back from the US. Brother Cao recommended him to direct the music video for the song 'Welcome to Beijing' to welcome the Olympics, and asked him to pass on a message to me."

At this point, Little Cannon couldn't help but feel envious.

Don't think this is just directing a music video; you need to know what kind of music video it is.

This is all about seniority, especially in the eyes of the authorities. This kind of seniority is even more important than directing a movie that grosses over 100 million yuan.

However, Little Cannon was merely envious. He felt that he had now aligned himself with... no, he had also started cooperating with Cao Yang. In the future, he would have awards in one hand and box office success in the other, making those who once looked down on him extremely envious.

"Ha ha……"

Thinking of this, Little Cannon couldn't help but curl the corners of his mouth into a smile.

Xu Fan glanced at Little Steel Cannon. "You're actually happy now? You think I'm easy to fool, huh?"

She couldn't help but move her hand slightly down, touching the inside of Xiao Gangpao's thigh, pinching and twisting it with her thumb and forefinger...

"Sha..."

The little cannon jerked in pain and almost shook Xu Fan off his lap.

"It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding."

He sensed that Xu Fan was still somewhat skeptical, and that his inappropriate expression had caused her to misunderstand again.

Xu Fan snorted.

I'll say it again: why didn't Cao Yang call you personally to make a message? What era are we living in? Making phone calls is so convenient; why would he need someone to pass on a message?
Little Cannon clicked his tongue. Sigh, his own woman is just too shrewd, hehe.

Don't say that women who are too shrewd are not easy to fool. Why would you want to fool them?
A shrewd woman knows how to weigh the pros and cons and how to save face. She rarely makes a scene like a foolish woman, leaving others embarrassed.

If it were any other woman, she probably wouldn't have just twisted her body; she would have jumped up and screamed.

"You don't understand. Don't be fooled by Cao Yang's work in Hollywood. He's actually part of the system, but his position is so high that he doesn't have to worry about what others think."

However, since they are part of the system, they should be mindful of what they say and do.

"Didn't the higher-ups tell us to stop the hype a while ago because they thought we were going too far? Cao Yang sent Ning Hao to tell us that we can hype it up a bit more, as long as it's not excessive, well, as long as it's reasonable and compliant with regulations."

After Xiao Gangpao explained so much, Xu Fan began to believe him.

However, she had a new question.

"You teamed up with Director Cao, and you even resorted to such unscrupulous methods of hype?"

Little Cannon's eyes widened, but then he chuckled and said:

"What do you mean by 'any means necessary'? Cao Yang and I aren't gods. This movie has such a large investment, and it's a disaster film within the established framework. It's the first of its kind in China. Who knows if the audience will buy it? What if it fails?"
You know, Cao Yang has an invincible body, so he's definitely under more pressure than I am. If he breaks that invincibility, tsk tsk, he'll suffer a huge loss.”

"How much more hype are you planning? You were stopped last time, and if you go too far this time, someone will definitely be unhappy."

Xu Fan asked with some curiosity.

"Hehe, that's why I said it's within the rules."

Little Cannon rubbed his hands together a few times before saying, "The message Cao Yang sent through Ning Hao is that casting for 'Aftershock' can begin."

Casting? What a reasonable excuse.

Didn't Li Shaohong organize a casting call called "Dream of the Red Chamber People" last year to promote the characters in "Dream of the Red Chamber"? It generated a lot of buzz.

When Chen Kaige was filming "Mei Lanfang", didn't he also hold a nationwide audition for young actors?

And then there's Zhang Yimou, didn't he hold a nationwide audition when he was filming "Happy Times" in 99? In the end, that girl named Bai Jie stood out.

Xu Fan slapped Xiao Gangpao's restless hand, rolled his eyes, and corrected him, "What Bai Jie? Her name is Dong Jie."

"Who cares about her purity? Anyway, she's getting a lot of hype. If they can hold nationwide auditions, why can't I? It's a perfectly legitimate and reasonable reason, right?"

Little Cannon chuckled and said, "That kid Cao Yang has the most tricks up his sleeve. Talent shows are so popular these days, like Hunan TV's 'Super Girl,' they're incredibly popular."

"Pfft..."

Xu Fan suddenly burst into laughter, leaving Little Cannon momentarily bewildered. "What are you laughing at?" Little Cannon asked.

"I laugh at you two for being so smart all your lives but so foolish this time. Don't forget you've already filmed a promotional video. Who doesn't know that the actors in the promotional video are the main characters in the movie? The main characters have already been cast, so what's the point of holding open auditions?"

Xu Fan mocked without any politeness.

Little Cannon slapped his forehead, only then remembering this.

He began to think about the other characters in the movie.

In terms of screen time, most of the important characters are already in the promotional video. The remaining characters are Xiao Fangdeng, Xiao Fangda, Fangdeng's adoptive mother Dong Guilan, Fangda's wife Xiaohe, and Fangdeng's first love Yang Zhi.

Little Cannon felt that these characters were somewhat underdeveloped.

You can't hold a huge nationwide audition and then only select minor roles with very little screen time, can you? Wouldn't you be criticized to death? It would be even more troublesome if this kind of shameless hype caused the audience to resent you.

At the very least, in addition to these minor supporting roles, we need to add a more substantial character.

"I have a good idea."

Xu Fan glanced at the little cannon, feeling somewhat unwilling, but it wasn't obvious on the surface.

"What's the idea?"

Xu Fan sighed inwardly again, but remained outwardly calm as he said, "I don't really like the tragic character of Fang Deng's biological mother, Li Yuanni, but I am quite interested in Fang Deng's adoptive mother, Dong Guilan."

Having said that, Xu Fan stopped talking.

Little Cannon paused for a moment. He was a smart man and of course understood what Xu Fan meant.

Why don't you like the character Li Yuanni? Who is Li Yuanni?

Like Fang Deng, she was also considered a female lead in the film.

This kind of woman, who suffers hardship but perseveres, is a particularly recognizable character in the film. As long as the performance is convincing, it is easy to win an award!
Even more outstanding than the character Fang Deng.

And what about Fang Deng's adoptive mother, Dong Guilan?

Just a minor supporting character!

How could she possibly be compared to Li Yuanni? There's simply no comparison.

It would be a lie to say that Xiao Gangpao wasn't moved.

He couldn't help but sigh, "Indeed, my woman is the smartest. How could anyone not be infatuated with a woman like that?"

Little Cannon buried its head in Xu Fan's neck and nuzzled, then looked up with its mouth and down with its hands to find a target.

When men are moved, they should take decisive action.

Little Cannon is 50 years old this year and is no longer a very tough person, but being tough is still tough, right?

The next day, Little Cannon took action.

He already had a preliminary plan last night, and it also incorporated some elements of inspiration, mainly drawing inspiration from the nationwide open audition format used by Li Shaohong and Zhang Yimou.

Nationwide auditions were held for the roles of Xiao Fangdeng and Xiao Fangda, and an audition was also held for the role of Li Yuanni.

Of course, "Aftershock" couldn't be made in a year like "Dream of the Red Chamber"; movies don't have that much time.

However, we can learn from the model of cooperating with TV stations.

For example, advertising on television, or collaborating with television stations to organize a grand finale or something.

Xiao Fangdeng and Xiao Fangda can collaborate with TV stations to broadcast the finals on television.

Since we're partnering with TV stations, we'd definitely choose Beihai TV and Sichuan TV first.

First, advertise on television to recruit eligible children.

Of course, simply advertising in a dry, uninspired way is not appropriate. Remember that earthquake relief video that several big stars made before?

The young star pulled a stunt: first, he aired a promotional video on TV, followed by the tagline: "Want to work with these big stars? Want to become a future superstar? Come on, we're recruiting..."

There were no profound words, only simple and easy-to-understand text.

Press conferences, advertisements on Sichuan Provincial Satellite TV and Hebei Satellite TV, and online advertisements for the audition process...

The Tangshan earthquake has once again become the focus of attention.

It's not just ordinary people who are paying attention; industry insiders are also very interested in this movie. After all, it's another collaboration between Cao Yang and Xiao Gangpao. More importantly, this movie is missing a female lead!
At first, everyone thought the female lead was Xu Fan, but it turned out she wasn't.

It's important to know that in China, people still place a lot of emphasis on matching celebrities' status with their social standing.

As one of the four great Qingyi actresses, Gao Yuanyuan is one of the female leads. So, if the other female lead performs well, will she be able to show that she is no less than the so-called four great Qingyi actresses?
Suddenly, everyone was asking what conditions were required for the female lead.

Actresses who felt they were of suitable age all took action.

Ning Hao brought the interns from Beijing Film Academy to Los Angeles. As was his habit, Cao Yang took time out that evening to treat the interns to a meal. During this time, Ning Hao told Cao Yang about things back in China.

For a moment, Cao Yang couldn't help but marvel at how daring Little Cannon was.

He thought that Little Cannon would at most use this opportunity to hold a press conference and hype it up online, but he didn't expect that he would cooperate with the TV station again and hold the final on TV.

You should know that he was warned by his superiors not long ago, and he dared to "stir up trouble" again in the blink of an eye.

Fine, I'll just pretend I don't know anything about this and let him do it. It's already late April and into May. At this stage, the bigger and more attention he gets, the better.

He stumbled upon a fortunate opportunity and has been working with Sichuan TV ever since.

Cao Yang decided to put the matter aside for the time being.

He pulled Ning Hao aside, gestured towards the interns with his chin, and asked, "Why is she here? Isn't she just a freshman? How did she get an internship? Is it your fault or a problem with the school?"

Ning Hao knew who Cao Yang was talking about. Among a group of third- and fourth-year students, only Jing Tian was a first-year student.

Only Jing Tian has a connection with Ning Hao, because it was the company behind Jing Tian that showered Ning Hao with money, making him dizzy and prompting them to produce a music video for the newly debuted Jing Tian.

"Junior Uncle, you have to believe me. When it comes to matters of principle, no matter how many... I will not break the rules."

Ning Hao explained in a low voice, "The school didn't violate any rules, this matter..."

He smacked his lips and said in a low voice, "There are always some students who are short-sighted. Anyway, I know of one student who was selected, but because he became an important role in a movie, he gave up the internship opportunity and gave it to Jing Tian."

Then he shook his head.

"It was an agreement they reached themselves, and there was no coercion involved. The school had never experienced anything like this before, so they could only turn a blind eye."

"you sure?"

Cao Yang asked again.

He didn't want the opportunity to intern on his own film set to become some kind of forced transaction, which would defeat his original intention of giving those students opportunities.

Ning Hao knew that Cao Yang was asking whether the school had engaged in coercion, or potential coercion.

What constitutes potential compulsion?
Even if the school calls the parties involved over and appears to be impartial, without offering any opinions or making any demands, simply by discussing the transaction itself and without any coercion, the act of calling them over is itself an expression of opinion and a form of potential coercion.

“Junior Uncle, I understand what you mean. Before coming here, I also secretly investigated. The school did not intervene; it was the students who made the contact on their own.”

Ning Hao said.

Cao Yang sighed inwardly, feeling a bit resentful towards Jing Tian.

If you want to come, just call me and come on your own. Why do you have to do it under the guise of an intern? By doing this, aren't you setting a precedent for wealthy and powerful students?

Looks like we need to do something.

(End of this chapter)